His first years as head coach of the cross country programs proved no less successful, with both squads reaching the NCAA Division II National Championships in his first season, marking just the second time UCSD accomplished that feat at the D-II level. Seniors Emily McGregor and Diane Dunn earned All-America honors after top 25 finishes at the 2007 national meet, while Garcia guided another student-athlete to All-American recognition after qualifying for the National Championships as a freshman in 2008. In 2011 under Garcia's guidance, Jesse Morrill won the CCAA Championships in the steeplechase and qualified for the NCAA Championships. Morrill owns the school record in the event (9:03.19).

Garcia earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from UCSD in 2000, graduating cum laude, and holds a Level 1 certification from USATF.

Garcia was a four-year athlete in both track and cross country while attending UCSD from 1996 to 2000. During his time as a Triton, he earned numerous athletic and academic honors, including Verizon All-Academic District VIII and CCAA Scholar-Athlete honors in 2000-01. He was also honored by UCSD on National Student-Athlete Day that same year.